Vacuum loss detection during laser eye surgery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016106582-A1
Application number	US-201514885907-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 16, 2015
Priority date	Oct 17, 2014
Publication date	Apr 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A laser eye surgery system that has a patient interface between the eye and the laser system relying on suction to hold the interface to the eye. The patient interface may be a liquid-filled interface, with liquid used as a transmission medium for the laser. During a laser procedure various inputs are monitored to detect a leak. The inputs may include a video feed of the eye looking for air bubbles in the liquid medium, the force sensors on the patient interface that detect patient movement, and vacuum sensors directly sensing the level of suction between the patient interface and the eye. The method may include combining three monitoring activities with a Bayesian algorithm that computes the probabilities of an imminent vacuum loss event.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of detecting loss of vacuum in a patient interface of a laser eye surgery system having control electronics, comprising:
docking a patient's eye to a suction ring of a patient interface which is aligned with an optical axis of the laser eye surgery system; monitoring a plurality of inputs associated with the docking, comprising:
a video feed of the laser eye surgery through the patient interface;
a physical force sensor that detects movement of the patient's eye relative to the patient interface; and
a vacuum sensor connected to a vacuum chamber of the suction ring;
halting or delaying the laser eye surgery if an aggregate of all three inputs is consistent with a threshold likelihood of a significant vacuum leak.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the three inputs are aggregated using a Bayesian algorithm.

3 . The method of claim 1 , including monitoring the video feed of the laser eye surgery for the formation of a vacuum leak bubble.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the video feed of the laser eye surgery is divided into sectors and the method includes monitoring each sector for a change in pixel values indicating the formation of a vacuum leak bubble.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the physical force sensor detects movement of the patient's eye relative to the patient interface transverse to the optical axis.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein there are at least three force transducers that each sense the magnitude and direction of forces between the patient's eye and the patient interface, the method including sending data from the force transducers to the control electronics of the system and using a force differential between the transducers to calculate an aggregate force between the patient interface and the patient's eye in the X, Y, and Z directions.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the vacuum sensor is fluidly connected to the vacuum chamber via a fluid line without any vacuum line components in between for rapid pressure response times.

8 . The method of claim 7 , further including a pressure sensor in the fluid line downstream of a point at which the vacuum sensor connects to the fluid line, wherein a fluid collector and a fluid stop are provided in the fluid line upstream of the pressure sensor, and wherein the method aggregates data output from the pressure sensor as well.

9 . The method of claim 8 , further including a second pressure sensor in a second fluid line fluidly connected to a second suction chamber between two components of the patient interface, wherein a fluid collector and a fluid stop are provided in the second fluid line upstream of the second pressure sensor, and wherein the method aggregates data output from the second pressure sensor as well.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the control electronics of the laser eye surgery system monitors the progress of the surgery and, if the threshold is reached, determines whether the laser eye surgery should be halted or not depending on a current operating state.

11 . A method of detecting loss of vacuum in a patient interface of a laser eye surgery system having control electronics, comprising:
docking a patient's eye to a suction ring of a patient interface which is aligned with an optical axis of the laser eye surgery system; supplying a sterile solution to a space within the patient interface between the patient's eye and a posterior surface of a transmissive lens held in the patient interface to form a transmissive chamber through which the laser eye surgery system may operate on the patient's eye; monitoring a video feed of the laser eye surgery through the patient interface; monitoring a physical force sensor that detects movement of the patient's eye relative to the patient interface; and monitoring a vacuum sensor connected to a vacuum chamber of the suction ring; aggregating data from all of the steps of monitoring with the control electronics and halting or delaying the laser eye surgery if at least two of the inputs is consistent with a threshold likelihood of a significant vacuum leak.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of aggregating is done using a Bayesian algorithm.

13 . The method of claim 11 , including monitoring the video feed of the laser eye surgery for the formation of a vacuum leak bubble.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the video feed of the laser eye surgery is divided into sectors and the method includes monitoring each sector for a change in pixel values indicating the formation of a vacuum leak bubble.

15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the physical force sensor detects movement of the patient's eye relative to the patient interface transverse to the optical axis.

16 . The method of claim 11 , wherein there are at least three force transducers that each sense the magnitude and direction of forces between the patient's eye and the patient interface, the method including sending data from the force transducers to the control electronics of the system and using a force differential between the transducers to calculate an aggregate force between the patient interface and the patient's eye in the X, Y, and Z directions.

17 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the vacuum sensor is fluidly connected to the vacuum chamber via a fluid line without any vacuum line components in between for rapid pressure response times.

18 . The method of claim 17 , further including a pressure sensor in the fluid line downstream of a point at which the vacuum sensor connects to the fluid line, wherein a fluid collector and a fluid stop are provided in the fluid line upstream of the pressure sensor, and wherein the method aggregates data output from the pressure sensor as well.

19 . The method of claim 18 , further including a second pressure sensor in a second fluid line fluidly connected to a second suction chamber between two components of the patient interface, wherein a fluid collector and a fluid stop are provided in the second fluid line upstream of the second pressure sensor, and wherein the method aggregates data output from the second pressure sensor as well.

20 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the control electronics of the laser eye surgery system monitors the progress of the surgery and, if the threshold is reached, determines whether the laser eye surgery should be halted or not depending on a current operating state.

Assignees

• Optimedica Corp

Inventors

• Campos Michael A
• Gonzalez Javier G
• Miller-Gadda Teresa G

Classifications

• A61F2009/00887

  Cataract · CPC title

• A61F2009/00872

  Cornea · CPC title

• A61F2009/00844

  Feedback systems · CPC title

• A61B2217/005

  with suction drainage system · CPC title

• A61F2009/0052

  the instrument being supported on the patient's eye · CPC title